Polomarket has become the latest retail chain in Poland to exploit a loophole that allows shops offering postal services to remain open on Sunday, thereby circumventing a ban on trading.
Poland’s Sunday trading ban was introduced by the current conservative government in 2018 and phased in over the following two years. Now fully implemented, it leaves only seven Sundays a year with unrestricted retail.
On other Sundays, most shops must close. There are, however, exceptions made for certain types of retailers, including those offering postal services. As a result, a number of chains – such as Żabka, Lewiatan and Intermarche – have used this loophole to keep stores open.
Following their example, Polomarket will now keep dozens of its 280 stores in Poland open on Sundays. The company told Wiadomości Handlowe that “ultimately there may be even more such establishments”.
It has signed an agreement with Ruch, a major press distributor, over its “Paczka w Ruchu” (Package in Motion) mail service, which will now be offered in some Polomarket branches.
The firm said that the move was “a response to the expectations of our customers”, who are increasingly turning to online shopping.
The postal-service loophole was first exploited by Żabka, one of Poland’s largest chains of convenience stores, with several of its franchises registering as postal agents to evade the ban.
The move prompted the Solidarity trade union, which had pushed for the Sunday trading ban, to call for the loophole to be closed. However, after store owners won a raft of lawsuits against the Chief Labour Inspectorate (PIP), the government did not ultimately change the law to restrict the practice.
Since then, a number of other chains have opened some of their shops on non-trading Sundays. There include Abc, Delikatesy Centrum, Euro Sklep, Stokrotka Express, Prim Market, Chata Polska, Sklep Polski, Topaz, and two franchise outlets of Biedronka, reports Wiadomości Handlowe.
Polish supermarket chain Lewiatan has launched its first 24/7 self-service store in response to the country's Sunday trading ban.
Around 200 products are available in the store.https://t.co/RRQyiR9yJ2
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 9, 2020
Many shops have, however, remained closed on Sundays, including a number of large chains – such as Lidl, Netto, Aldi and most Biedronka stores – as well as large supermarkets such as Auchan, Carrefour and Tesco.
Current rules also allow for a number of other exceptions. Stores operated by their owner can remain open, as can petrol stations, shops selling souvenirs or religious items, bakeries, florists, pharmacies, and outlets at airports and public transport terminals. E-commerce is also exempt from the ban.
When introduced, the Sunday trading ban, which was supported by the Catholic church, was presented as a way to allow workers to spend Sundays with their families while also supporting small, independent businesses against big international retailers.
Surveys, however, have shown Poles increasingly opposed to the measure. In a poll last year, almost half (48%) of respondents said that the ban should be abolished, compared to 36% who think it should not.
A number of reports have also indicated that the ban has hit smaller businesses – thousands of which have been closing – hardest and has benefited large discount stores.
Main image credit: Polomarket
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
